- विज्ञापन -
Paris: Approximately 40% of flights were canceled across all airports in Paris, causing significant upheaval during the busy summer travel season on friday. Tens of thousands of passengers had to adjust their plans as a strike by French air traffic controllers demanding better working conditions affected flights nationwide.
The strike’s impact started on Thursday and intensified on Friday, leading to widespread delays and cancellations. The French civil aviation authority urged airlines to cancel around 40% of flights at Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais airports serving Paris. Additionally, half of the flights in Nice and about 30% in Marseille, Lyon, and several other cities were also canceled.
Despite these cancellations, authorities warned travelers to expect ongoing delays and disruptions across all French airports.
Ryanair was among the carriers most affected, announcing that over 400 flights had been canceled, impacting roughly 70,000 passengers. The airline stated that the strike affected all flights over French airspace and traffic in and out of French airports. Ryanair called for reform of European air traffic rules to prevent such disruptions in the future.
Union Demands and Reasons for Striking
One of the two unions leading the strike, UNSA-ICNA, explained that staff shortages were causing issues amid increased passenger numbers. They also emphasized that inflation has eroded their salaries. The unions are protesting new reforms aimed at stricter monitoring of their work, which was prompted by a near-collision incident at Bordeaux airport.
Official Response
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot criticized the timing of the strike, calling the union’s demands and decision to strike unacceptable, especially as it coincided with the summer vacation period when many families are traveling and schools are about to close.
